The Beginning of the London Group Part Four

This fourth lecture was given in Conway Hall, Red Lion Square, London on the 28^th of May 1975.

As mentioned previously, like most genuine esoteric fraternities, the thinking and practices of the group developed and changed over the next forty years. Some elements of what was said then are perhaps a little dated now, but essentially these lecture notes remain of historical interest and may also provide some practical pointers for those with eyes to see, particularly the points on "contact". 

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This evening, we continue our series of inaugural lectures with a talk on Elementary Esoteric Physiology.

1.  The Individuality

 

What is it? Essentially, those aspects of a person which developed in the earlier part of the current evolutionary phase, and which will persist until the end of this phase. It is sometimes called the “Higher Self” in contrast to the “Lower Self” or Personality, and it comprises the denser aspect of spirit plus the abstract mind.

 

The Personality is the vehicle of an incarnation; the Individuality is the vehicle of an evolution. Spirit is eternal and uses its Individuality as its means of working within the current evolutionary phase and thereby gaining experience. The Individuality ^“dies” at the end of an evolutionary phase (countless millions of years) and the spirit absorbs the essence of its experience. In the next evolutionary phase, a new Individuality will evolve, and so the process will continue until the spirit transcends the bounds of the Sphere and becomes a god in its own right.

 

The Individuality is to the Personality as the spirit is to it -- the source of power and directive. It is the repository of the accumulated experience distilled from its many and varied Personalities.

 

The Individuality is not autonomous it is an extension of the Spirit, adapted to act and react to the conditions of the “higher” non-physical worlds. However, it is so vast in stature compared with the Personality that it may often appear to function as a separate being. Ideally, the personality should operate as a true projection of its Individuality on the planes of form. Unfortunately, due to the deviations resulting from the misuse of freewill, the projection is invariably an inadequate analogue of its originator. There is a “split” between the two levels, each of which has different and sometimes opposing motives. Problems of communication and control ace the rule rather than the exception.

 

Were the situation perfect, the Individuality's wishes would simply be interpreted in terms of the material available. Acting as a creative centre on the physical plane, the Personality would select the best form for the purpose and act accordingly. Instead of which, until such time as it can produce projections more nearly in its image and likeness, the Individuality must impress its will upon its denser vehicle less directly.

 

Dreams are one example of the functioning of the Individuality reflected into the Personality and expressed in its language. Some dreams are apparently nothing more than fragments of the day’s events. Others seem to have deep, if elusive meaning. It is like a great artist being forced to create a masterpiece of great and urgent meaning from fragments of photographs cut from a colour supplement. They would have little choice but to use the best symbols in stock.

 

While dreams can guide the Personality and affect the pattern of the life, other means of contact are increasingly used by the individual as they evolve.

Intuitional thinking is one of these. An “idea” -- unclothed by symbol -- can be presented by the Individuality to the Personality at a time when the lower mind is off-guard. One of the results of esoteric training should be to increase this form of functioning, stock the lower mind with appropriate images and remove and straighten any twists and blockages, so that it becomes an increasingly close approximation of its mentor. In a properly functioning esoteric group, work of this sort, acting from the outer toward the inner, is complemented by the work of the initiatory forces working from the inner world toward the outer.

As well as its “vertical” contact with Spirit and its outward contact to the Personality, horizontal contacts are possible as well. Communication on abstract mind level with the inner plane adepti is accomplished in this manner. Difficulty in relaying the substance of such a contact to the lower levels still exists, however. For this reason, great stress is laid on “making straight the Paths”.

 

2.  The Personality

The word “Personality” comes from “persona”, which means a mask. It is the face shown to the world and so often conceals rather than expresses the true human. 

Body and brain are the actual physical instruments of the Personality. The world is perceived through the five senses; the brain interprets and correlates the results. The brain is the physical instrument of the mind and links the latter with the bodily sensory and motor functions. While the Personality is certainly the focus of Humankind’s extension into matter, its purpose can only be achieved using a physical vehicle, a body formed of the matter of the plane itself. Therefore, in the Western Esoteric Tradition, the physical body is never denigrated but is given its full importance as one of vital bodies of a human.

The Personality's inner contact is with its Individuality, while its outer link is with the physical universe via the body/brain.

 

Psychism, telepathy and mediumship are examples of impingements upon the Personality. “Lower” psychism is often a manifestation of influences transmitted to consciousness via the etheric body. “Higher” psychism frequently comes about by a contact received by the Individuality and transmitted to the Personality which promptly clothes it in its own imagery. Just how clear the reception and how appropriate that imagery is, depends upon the degree of regeneration and training of the Personality.

 

Once again, it will be seen; how vital is the preliminary work of equilibrating the psyche. The neophyte in a properly organized practical group is introduced to the inner forces in a controlled manner, ascending to the heights of his own depths by a series of well-marked steps. Premature exposure to powerful abstract forces can blast a channel through the Personality which may lead to its being swamped by the great sea of the Inner World.

 

Finally, no study of Humankind would be complete without consideration of our physical nature. This is divided into subtle (etheric) and dense (physical) aspects. The etheric is the matrix of the physical shell and acts as a carrier of and communicator with the elemental life forces. The chakrams (or “wheels”) are great etheric foci and serve as junctions between the physical body -- probably via the endocrines -- and the inner levels of the Personality. In the East, the Hatha Yoga disciplines develop control of this level, but the Western aspirant is advised against the use of any such techniques. Misapplication may result in ill-health or worse; the West achieves similar results in its ways.

The physical body is the final outpost of the Spirit. The aim of evolution is to bring the Kingdom of the Spirit to manifestation in the physical world. This should never be forgotten. All the faculties and capacities of the body should be carefully trained and used to the full. This Tradition has little place for those who cannot use their hands; they must learn. The earthing place for all esoteric practice is the physical plane. Occultism is not only a great system of religious, philosophical and psychological knowledge; it is a Craft.

 

Now for questions please.